


The Ever Fleeting Peace

by TheLuckyFateReviewer



Series: The Legend of Artoria: Réssucité [2]
Category: Fate/EXTRA, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, F/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-01-13 03:35:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21237500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLuckyFateReviewer/pseuds/TheLuckyFateReviewer
Summary: After a long life of solitude and emptiness, a girl finds peace and happiness.But peace and happiness are fleeting things.How long before the girl's new world begins to crumble?Thanks to BloodRiver and Val for their support in the making of this story.





	1. Chapter 1

_ Hakuno stood at her parents' graves. It'd been almost a month since she had lost her mother. She was buried next to her father in a graveyard near their home.  _

_ It'd been a rough month. Hakuno having to get used to the people who are going to be taking care of her and realizing she was alone hurt a lot. She couldn't remember much about her father, but her mother was the one person she believed would always be there for her. _

_ She was too focus on thought as someone came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. _

_ "They were good people." _

_ She looked up to see a woman around her mother age with brown hair that was tied up into a ponytail. Her eyes were brown as well. If Hakuno hadn't been told by her mother, she would have mistaken the woman as her mother's sister or relative.  _

_ "You knew my parents?" _

_ "I was acquaintances with your father but your mother, however, she was the best friend I ever had." _

_ She placed a bouquet of flowers on her mother's grave. She stood there in silent, liking saying some things internally before turning her attention back to Hakuno and smiled reassuringly. _

_ "Look, I know it's hard, but they wouldn't want you moping around because they are gone." _

_ Hakuno looked up at the lady. She wasn't wrong about her mother, not wanting her to be sad that she is gone. Still, she was a bit curious about the woman as she simply asked. _

_ "What's your name?" _

_ The lady looked at her for a few moments before smiling and kneeling down to speak to Hakuno face to face. _

_ "Your mother didn't want you to get involved with what she and I were involved with. It's probably best if I don't tell you my name." _

_ She went to say something, but the lady stopped her as she continued. _

_ "However, she also said that if you did end up finding out about it on your own, that I could tell you. So, one day, if you do find out about it, I'll come back and explain everything to you. Sound fair?" _

_ She wasn't sure what it was her mother wanted her to be kept in the dark about. Maybe it was dangerous? Still, she had no reason to disagree with the lady and simply nodded at the deal. _

_ The lady stood up and smiled as she took Hakuno's hand. _

_ "Good. Come on, I'll walk you back to your house. I wouldn't want you getting hurt." _

_ Hakuno nodded as she walked with the lady. Just as they left the graves, she heard the lady mutter something. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to listen to her or not, but she heard the lady say. _

_ "I'll keep Hakuno safe, Hanae. I just hope you know what you are doing with her." _

Hakuno slowly felt herself waking up as the light shined in from her room in Shirou's place. It'd been a little over a week since the Grail War had ended. Even with so much time to think, she was still having trouble processing everything that had happen as real.

She had spent almost a decade living a normal life and, yet, one week changed all of that. Here she was, sleeping her room in the house belonging to one of the two people she fell in love with. She never thought one event could change her entire world, even less did she think it would be for the better.

"Hanae, huh. That was your mother's name?"

She looked over as she sees Arturia was awake. Rin had given her a rundown on how servant contracts worked, even if she wasn't sure that the one she had with Arturia was like that. One of the things was that servants and Masters shared dreams. She guesses that was one thing that transferred over.

She looked at Arturia and nodded.

"Yeah. Sorry if it felt like I was keeping that from you. I didn't know how exactly to bring it up in a conversation."

Arturia smiled and patted her head.

"It's alright, no need to apologize. Maybe one day, when we are free, you can take me to see their graves."

She hadn't even thought about that. Maybe it was due to her still taking everything in. Still, she probably should bring Arturia, Rin, Shirou, and perhaps even Sakura to see her parents' graves. Maybe let them say a few words and see what happens. 

"That other lady, though. Do you think she was this Lorelei person your mother had spoken to, and Rin had mentioned?"

"It's the only explanation I can think of. I imagine my mom would have been close to her considering the whole deal with the Kishinamis and Barthomelois."

"Still, I wonder if she knows that you found out about magic or not. It's clear that was what your mother and Lorelei were trying to keep you out of."

Before she could answer Arturia's question, a knock on the door was made as they heard Rin's voice on the other side.

"Hey, you two up yet? Breakfast is almost ready."

Hakuno looked at the door and smile.

"Yeah, we're up, Rin. Just having a moment."

"Well, hurry up and finish having your moment and come eat before Taiga eats it."

They could hear Rin walk away as Arturia just laughed. It hadn't been easy explaining the situation with Taiga. She thought Shirou was some degenerate by dating multiple girls, but they managed to do so in a way it made sense to her. She wasn't even sure why Taiga overreacted. Shirou wasn't that type of person, and she only knew him for a few months. 

Still, they better hurry before Taiga ate all the food. She got up and got dressed. Today was going to be long anyway with her going to her home to start getting things packed up so she can fully move in with Shirou. She had explained to her caretakers the situation, and it didn't take long for them to understand. They would take care of things with the house.

She didn't have many personal things to take, so that wouldn't be an issue. The issue would be all the relics she had in the attic. Her family had been keeping a lot of stuff, so she wasn't sure where she would put it all. Rin and Shirou said they would figure something out and to not try getting rid of anything. Considering Morgan's diary and a chest with Caliburn had been in her attic, it was probably best to keep everything in case something else comes up. Maybe Arturia would be able to recognize some of the stuff she had. 

She finished getting dressed, with Arturia's help, as she walked out of the room and into the living room. Shirou, with Sakura's help, was getting food down at the table as the two looked at her and smile. No matter how much she tried, she still felt like she was dreaming. That she was going to wake up back at her house and find out all of this never happened. A decade of spending time alone had come to an end, and she was finally somewhere with people who loved and cared about her. 


	2. Chapter 2

"So, what do you two have plans today?"

Hakuno looked up at Shirou, Rin, and Sakura. Taiga had left early so they could freely talk about things. She had discussed with Arturia last night that they head to her home to start getting the attic cleared. She figured it was also an excellent time to find out if anything else important was up there. She had found Morgan's Diary in a box of books, and Arturia found Caliburn in a chest they had. It's a wonder what else could be up there.

"Well, Arturia and I had planned on going to my house to clean my attic out."

She just got a stern from Rin.

"I thought we told you Shirou and I will take care of things. No need for you to sell things Alexandra went and got together to keep from the world."

"I didn't intend to throw anything away. Just sort things out. Plus, I'm curious about what else could be up there with all we found during the war."

Sakura just smiled at the thought.

"You have been getting better with reading Latin thanks to Arturia. Maybe you'll find out some more stuff about Alexandra."

She doubted it. Her family has probably been through everything they could have gotten their hands on. The only reason Morgan's Diary would likely have been something no one before her, aside from possibly the first generations, is because of the lock on it. The chest was also something Alexandra intended Arturia to find and open, hence why it was never opened before. 

She finished eating breakfast and headed back to her room to grab a coat but stopped about halfway as she remembered something. She turned back to Shirou, Rin, and Sakura.

"I know this may sound out of nowhere, but, maybe this evening, we could all go and visit my parents' graves."

This caught Rin, Shirou, and Sakura off guard as Arturia kept eating, already aware of the idea.

Shirou tilted his head.

"Is something wrong, Hakuno?"

She went to say she was fine, but Hakuno felt like her meeting Lorelei when she was younger wasn't something she should hide. They were supposed to be honest with each other.

"Well, I had a dream last night, or well, I guess you would call it a memory, but anyway, I remember I went to my parents' graves about a month after my mother died. Surprisingly, I happened to visit around the same time a lady who claimed my mother was the best friend she ever had."

It took Rin a few moments to realize who that could possibly be. Once she did, her face looked surprised as she looked back.

"Wait, you met Lorelei when you were a kid?"

"I didn't know it was her because she never told me her name. She said if I heard it, I'd likely get dragged into magecraft rather than choosing it myself. She also said that, if I did get into magecraft, she would come to talk to me and, I guess, explain everything."

"So, how will she know if you got into magecraft then?"

"Didn't say. As we were leaving and Lorelei was walking me home, I heard her mentioning something about hoping my mother knew what she was doing with me."

This only made Rin look even more confused, not that she blamed her. When she thought about it, that comment had a lot more weight. A few months ago, she believed she had been isolated due to surgery Hakuno had when she was a kid, but now she knew most of the story. She knew about Morgan, her circuits, and what caused her parents to die so early. The only reason she didn't know was why.

Still, getting everyone back on track, Shirou was confused about the visiting part.

"Still, why do you want us to your parents' graves for? There isn't much- Oww!"

Sakura pinched Shirou lightly but enough to get him to stop as she turned back to Hakuno and smiled.

"Of course, we'll come."

Rin and Shirou look back at Sakura as it took them a moment to remember her relationship with her parents was different from theirs. Sure, they may be gone, but she still loves them both, even if they had told her half-truths and lies about what happened to her to keep her isolated for years. She just smiled as she went to grabbed herself a coat along with one for Arturia and grabbed Caliburn. It didn't take but a moment for Caliburn to disguise itself as she came back out of her room. 

Arturia was finishing up her food as she came back out. Arturia held out her hand as she tossed Arturia her coat. While she was putting it on, she went over to Shirou and Rin and gave both of them a kiss. They just smiled and kissed back.

"We shouldn't go anywhere else so, if you need us, you know where I live."

They all nodded as Shirou went about getting dishes clean, and Rin and Sakura just hung out and talked. With that, she and Arturia left and began the short trek to her house. As they walked, Arturia decided to let out a bit of concern.

"How exactly are you going to explain to Lorelei about keeping me around if she does indeed come to find you?"

"Well, I imagine it won't be too hard once she understands what we used the wish for. If she is aware of the Morgan situation, then she'll probably be alright with having you around instead of the alternative. She didn't seem unreasonable when I met her, but maybe things have changed over a decade."

"I'm just worried. If I'm forced to go back to the throne, Morgan will be left uncontested when it comes to messing with you."

"We'll figure something out. Though, I am wondering why exactly my parents went about implanting Morgan's circuits into me. Morgan, being pulled in, was an accident. However, it still was odd why they went about enhancing my magic circuits by embedding Morgan's into me."

Arturia was silent, not giving any of her thoughts on the matter. While she wouldn't question Arturia being quiet, this issue did concern her. She just looked at Arturia.

"Do you know anything?"

She looked back at Hakuno and smiled.

"No, everything is fine. I rather have some idea about your parents' reasoning instead of saying something incorrect."

Hakuno wanted to pressure Arturia on the subject, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. It was bad enough that they shared dreams. Arturia deserves some bit of privacy. Plus, she has reasons for hiding whatever she is thinking about. The best thing to do is not think about it and, luckily, they arrive just in time for her to take her mind off the subject and focus on sorting relics. 

She unlocked the door as she walked in. Most of the house has already been cleared. She had her bedroom, and her parents' bedroom cleaned out, and the kitchen had been packed. The only thing left was the living room and the attic. She headed upstairs and went into the room where everything was stored. It was more than likely most of this stuff had not been moved since her grandmother moved to Fuyuki. 

"Well, let's see what we got, Arturia."

Let's see if they couldn't find anything else of note up here.


	3. Chapter 3

Arturia felt terrible about holding back her thoughts with Hakuno. She, Hakuno, Rin, Shirou, and Sakura had promised to be more open about things and not hide things. Still, she didn't want to cause Hakuno to end up thinking differently about Alexandra because of a theory she had. 

She could tell Hakuno was wondering the same thing. Why did Hanae implant Morgan's circuits into Hakuno? She had two theories as to why, but things weren't looking great for either one.

The first was simple. Hakuno's parents wanted Hakuno to be well protected, even after they were gone. Of course, what exactly did they fear that made them worry about Hakuno? The Harways or something else? Hakuno's family had a powerful ally, as Rin had said, in the Barthomelois. Combine that with what happened with Hakuno's family in the past, and it ruled out anything that they would fear. 

Then there was her second theory. She had more belief in this one, but, at the same time, she didn't like the outlook. Especially since it makes Alexandra, who has done so much for her, look terrible.

That theory being, Did Alexandra convenience Hanae to use Morgan's circuits on Hakuno?

She already knew Alexandra had means to see the future. Placing Caliburn in a chest that only she could open was proof of that. Plus, Alexandra knew Hakuno would be the one Arturia would trust Caliburn to, meaning Alexandra was aware of Hakuno. However, now that she thought about the message she left in Caliburn, another question was raised.

Alexandra knew that the implanting Morgan's magic circuits into Hakuno would cause Morgan's conscious to be pulled into Hakuno. 

If Alexandra truly can see the future, then she would have known what would have happened. It could have been that Hanae went through the idea on her own but, if Alexandra had means of getting messages to her and Hakuno, then she could have done the same with Hanae unless Alexandra wanted Morgan to get pulled into Hakuno.

Alexandra has mentioned that Hakuno was the key to Camelot's future. That fixing Caliburn was undoing something Morgan had done and that there was one last thing for her to do. She even had said that they sealed Morgan with the Grail rather than getting her removed. Everything was pointing towards the fact Alexandra wanted Morgan stuck in Hakuno. The question was, why?

Why would Alexandra do all this to her descendant? She had shown care and respect to her, yet it looked as though she was using Hakuno. She wasn't rash enough to believe Alexandra was doing so without reason, but it didn't help make her feel better about it. 

"Arturia?"

She looked at Hakuno, who was looking through stuff. She immediately looked embarrassed as she realized she probably had been standing in one spot for several minutes, thinking about all this.

"Sorry, I...got a bit lost in thought."

"You sure you don't wanna talk about it? We can stop and go downstairs and sit."

"No, it's nothing to concern yourself with."

"Well, then maybe this can get your mind off whatever you're thinking about."

She tilted her head as she walked over to see what Hakuno was looking at. She glanced down as she looked a bit surprised. The cape she wore when she was king was lying inside a box all nice and neatly. It didn't look too worn or damaged despite the thing being about 1500 years old. In fact, a majority of the relics looked well kept despite their age. Alexandra and Hakuno's ancestors must have taken good care of these things over the years.

She then started to smile as she got an idea. 

"Hakuno, close your eyes and turn around."

"Huh?"

"Just trust me."

Hakuno nodded as she turned around and closed her eyes. She took out the cape and started putting it on Hakuno. She could tell Hakuno could feel the weight of it and ask again.

"Arturia, what exactly are you doing?"

"Shhh, just give me a second."

She finished getting the cape on Hakuno properly and stepped back to look at her. Luckily, there was a mirror stored up in the attic as well as she led Hakuno in front of it. She smiled as she stepped back.

"Alright, now you can open your eyes."

Hakuno opened her eyes and looked into the mirror as she saw what she was wearing.

"A-Arturia, this is yours. I shouldn't be-"

"It is mine, and I want you to have it. Honestly, your family deserves some of this stuff rather than simply safeguarding it."

Hakuno moved around with it on as she just looked embarrassed by the whole ordeal. It was honestly cute how Hakuno acted like she wasn't special. Maybe it was just the mentality shared by the Kishinamis due to having an ally like Lorelei yet choosing to keep living regular lives. 

The more she looked around, the more she realized Rin wasn't kidding about a lot of the items Alexandra had grabbed being possible summoning relics. Her cape, Caliburn, Morgan's diary, Mordred's helmet fragment, and who knows what else that could be used for summoning a servant. The only thing that had kept them all from joining a Holy Grail War was their belief that the actual Holy Grail had been returned to Heaven by Galahad, seeing as the one in the war is a fake. 

Hakuno turned back towards the steps downstairs as she heard someone knocking.

"It's probably Rin, Shirou, or Sakura, but, just to be safe, mind helping me get this off?"

She nodded as she helped get the cape off her and put it back in the place they found it. Maybe Hakuno will end up accepting it, but, for now, better, it is somewhere safe. Hakuno headed downstairs as she kept looking through the items in the attic. Weapons, pieces of armor, books, and stacks of old parchments laid about the place. Alexandra had clearly been concise when it came to taking everything that could relate to her and Camelot. 

She heard talking from downstairs as she heard 3 voices. She didn't recognize one of them, but the other two were apparent as she felt a shiver go down her spine. One was Hakuno, while the other sounded like the lady in Hakuno's memory, Lorelei. She headed downstairs to check, though she tried to act casual. She saw Hakuno standing in the hallway with Lorelei.

"Hey, just coming to check and see what was taking you so long. I thought-"

She immediately went dead silent as she saw the 3rd person. She was a girl with a mostly black outfit, but her face was what shocked Arturia the most. Aside from the hair color, the girl looked exactly like her. She had her face, her eye color, hairstyle. The girl looked back as the two just stared in silence. Lorelei took a glance back and forth before laughing a little.

"Oh, so you're the Saber servant from the war. Guess we know where you ended up now."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sorry for the long delay in release. I had a loss in motivation for writing a while back so trying to finish this up had been hard to do. Regardless, here it is and I do hope to try and get back to writing more frequently soon.

Lorelei was rubbing her eyes as they got into the car after they had landed in Fuyuki. It had been a long flight from London. Not to mention, they had to leave at night to arrive in the morning in Fuyuki. She was glad coffee existed. 

During the flight, she had given Gray a summary of the Kishnami family. She was still relatively new to Clock Tower, so it didn't surprise her that she had never heard about the Kishinamis aside from rumors and other minor things. She could guess where those rumors were coming from, but that was an issue for another day. 

Now they found themselves heading out of the airport and to a place she hadn't visited in a decade. A part of her had regrets about what she did the last time she was here. She trusted Hanae's plan, but there was a part of her that wished she had done things differently.

She wasn't a fool. Hakuno has likely suffered over the past decade. Why wouldn't she? She spent all that time isolated rather than living a normal life. Now, that likelihood of a normal life was gone.

She honestly wondered how much Hakuno knew by this point. She would need to at least have some knowledge to end up being used as the vessel for the Grail. Hopefully, talking to Hakuno would shed light on what happened as well as the Master or Masters who saved her. 

Of course, El-Melloi had suspicions about the whole thing.

"You really think she got involved? As far as you've heard, Hakuno hadn't been looking into magecraft or her family while her caretakers were living with her. Could she really have gotten herself involved with the War?"

"That's what we're hoping to find out. I doubt these rumors would have happened without reason. If Hakuno had been involved, then I need to fulfill my promise to Hanae and explain everything to Hakuno. At least, whatever Hakuno hasn't figured out."

"You think she's already figured some of the secrets kept from her out?"

"Possibly. If Hakuno's anything like her mother, she's probably looked into things out of pure curiosity. I'm more worried about the other issue."

Neither El-Melloi or Gray would know what she was talking about. In fact, there wasn't a person alive who knew this about Hakuno except for herself. The only other two who knew was Hakuno's parents, and they took that knowledge to the grave with them. 

Regardless, she drove down familiar streets until they had arrived at a house. Once the car was in park, she began to get out only to be stopped by El-Melloi.

"It's probably best you go ahead. Seeing all three of us might freak Hakuno out. She might at least remember you."

He brought up a good point. To Hakuno, they were likely strangers. While Hakuno did meet Waver before, the man had grown over the decade, and she met him at a young age. Hakuno would have trouble recognizing him if she could at all. She had the best chance.

She got out of the car and walked up the stairs to the front door. There was the possibility that Hakuno wouldn't be here. If that were the case, she would have no idea where to look for her. All she could do was hope that she was here. 

And so, she knocked on the door and waited for a moment. Her fear of someone not here quickly went away as she could hear movement from the attic. Hakuno had probably been up there looking around. She had faith that Hakuno was smart enough to figure out her family had connections to King Arthur. Her mother hadn't tried to hide it with her continually reading stories from the legends.

Soon enough, the door open as she saw Hakuno for the first time in years. Lorelei figured Hakuno would end up looking a lot like her mother, and that stayed true. Long brown hair, brown eyes, plain face, all the same traits her mother had. 

Hakuno stared at her as she shook her head and cleared her throat. She had to remember Hakuno wouldn't know who she was.

"Hi, I know you probably don't remember me but-"

"You're Lorelei, right?"

She didn't even get a chance to finish speaking as Hakuno surprised her. She didn't remember saying her name to Hakuno or when Hakuno was around. Still, at least Hakuno remembers her. Made things a lot easier. 

"Yep, though, I am surprised you know my name. I don't remember saying it out loud."

"A friend of mine, who is a mage, told me your name while I was looking into my family's history."

"Well, one less thing I will have to explain. If I could ask how much do you know about your family's history?"

"Enough to know I can trust you."

She just smirked at the comment. Hakuno wasn't wrong about the comment, she's just surprised at how much she had grown over the years. Though, she did notice a bit of a weird glow coming from one of her eyes. She couldn't exactly make out what it was as Hakuno looked confused.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I feel like there's a lot we need to talk about. I have someone with me that I was hoping could speak to you."

"Sure. I'm just getting things packed up."

"Packed up?"

"Some friends of mine figured me living in a place where I spent most of my life alone isn't the most healthy thing for the mind. So, I'm moving out and going to be staying with them. That's not a problem, is it?"

Oh, she needed to hear more about these friends. Though, that did bring up another thing.

"Say, these friends of yours. They didn't happen to be apart of the Holy Grail War, were they?"

"Yes, actually. Why?"

"Well, there is another person, a previous master who became a teacher at Clock Tower, who wanted to talk to them and hear their perspectives on the war."

Hakuno stared at her for a few minutes. She was probably trying to make sure that what she was saying was true, which meant that these 'friends' of hers meant a lot to her. 

"That's all, right? He doesn't intend to do anything bad to them?"

"Hakuno, you have my word; that is all he wishes to do. I doubt he would want to insult what your mother did for him years ago by harming your friends."

"Alright. It hasn't been too long since we came here, so they should still be at Shirou's place."

She pointed up the road.

"It's a few blocks. You can't miss it."

She nodded as she signaled for Gray and El-Melloi to come out. She looked at El-Melloi.

"Hakuno says her friends were Masters in the War and that they should be at a house a few blocks from here. You can go talk to them while Gray and I talk to Hakuno."

"That's probably for the best. It'll be long enough with what needs to be discussed."

He started to head up as Hakuno just looked at him for a few moments before finally asking.

"Have we met before? You look familiar, but I can't exactly put my figure as to where I've seen you before."

El-Melloi just looked backed and smiled, something she rarely sees the man doing these days.

"I'm sure Lorelei can fill you in. You were probably too young to remember things anyway."

And with that, he headed up the road to the place Hakuno had told them about. Hakuno's attention turned to Gray, who still had her hood up. Once El-Melloi was out of sight, she looked to Gray and Hakuno as Hakuno spoke up.

"Is there was a reason why you keep your hood up?"

"Oh, umm...Lord El-Melloi prefers I keep it up. My face brings back bad memories for him."

"That's a bit rude, isn't it? It isn't your fault you look like someone he has bad memories of."

"Well, he did save me from what my village intended to do to me. It's the least I can do for him."

Hakuno just tilted her head as she patted Gray on the back. 

"Perhaps telling your story and showing your face to Hakuno will help her understand why I brought you here."

It took Gray a few moments of thinking on it before she finally mustered enough courage to take her hood off. While what Gray said was one of the reasons she kept her hood up most of the time, another was because she was timid. Still, if they were going to get anywhere, Gray needed to open up about her past. 

The thing she hadn't anticipated was Hakuno's reaction. When Gray lowered her hood, Hakuno's looked as though she was looking at a ghost. She just stared at Gray and muttered.

"Why do you look like..."

Before either of her or Gray ask Hakuno who she was talking about, she heard someone coming down the steps of the attic. The moment she saw the woman's face, she immediately knew why Hakuno was acting like she saw Gray before. 

"Hey, just coming to check and see what was taking you so long. I thought-"

She was more than aware that the Saber servant was still around. Only powerful mages could continue to maintain a servant after the Grail War, and she had considered the possibility of Hakuno either being used to support the servant's existence due to her plentiful mana or chosen to do so herself. She took a guess it was the ladder. 

Gray and the Saber servant just stared at each other as she just smirked.

"Oh, so you're the Saber servant from the War. Guess we know where you ended up now."

Saber immediately came over and get Hakuno behind her. It was clear Saber cared about Hakuno, making it more clear Hakuno and Saber had bonded over the War. Gray looked a bit worried as she calmed the situation.

"You have nothing to fear from me. I'm not here to hurt Hakuno."

"I'm well aware of that. Regardless, I rather not take the risk of something happening to Hakuno?"

"Hmmm? And why is that?"

Before Saber could say anything, Hakuno grabbed Saber's arm as she looked at Lorelei.

"Look, it's a long story. I think it's best you come inside and hear it."

"Hakuno..."

"Ar-Saber, my mother trusted her. If my mother had any thought that Lorelei would hurt me, she wouldn't have trusted her to keep tabs on me."

She wasn't sure how exactly Hakuno had come to know so much but, she was glad she did. Whatever had happened or what the relationship between Saber and Hakuno was, it was clear Saber would not hesitate to defend Hakuno. In a way, this could end up working out well. 

Saber sighed and gestured the two to come in, still keeping an eye on Gray and vice versa. If Saber really was who she thought Saber was, then she had so many questions she could only guess Hakuno had the answers to. How odd that a trip where she was to explain things to Hakuno had been turned around where Hakuno would be the one explaining things to her. Hanae would be laughing at the strange turn of events.


	5. Chapter 5

While Hakuno had expected she would end up meeting Lorelei at some point, she never expected it would have been this soon. It had only been a week since the end of the war. She could only guess that news must travel fast in Clock Tower.

Then there was the girl Lorelei brought. She didn't know what to make of her. She had Arturia's face, hairstyle, even the same eye colors. The only thing that hadn't been the same was the hair. Not to mention, that weird cage thing felt odd. She wasn't sure why, but just staring at it made her head start hurting as if her mind id trying to tell her something.

Regardless, everyone sat in the living room as she came back with something for everyone to drink. Considering there was a lot to talk about, they would need it. She looked at Lorelei as she asked.

"So, let's go ahead and address the servant in the room. Saber, why are you still here? The Grail War is over."

Arturia was going to explain, but she stopped her. Lorelei came to see her. She should hear the answers from her.

"Saber's magic resistance is the only thing keeping Morgan from breaking the seal the Grail created."

Morgan's name alone seems to stop any thought process Lorelei had been going on as she just looked at her. Gray looked a bit confused. She wouldn't have any idea about any of this, as Lorelei asked.

"So, you know, then?"

"Yes. I know everything. About the surgery, about me being implanted with Morgan's magic circuits, about....why my parents died when I was so young."

A part of her felt a bit bad on Lorelei's part. Lorelei probably had thought about how she was going to tell her all this for a decade, only to come and find out she already knew. She could blame Morgan a bit on that part, but she knew. 

Lorelei sighed as she stared at her.

"I see. I'm sorry you found out on your own rather than me being here to explain it all to you."

"It's alright. I rather know. Anyways, I didn't realize at the time, but I've been seeing Morgan for the past 10 years. She never did anything until the Grail War. The only thing she did was appear and then disappear soon after. I just guessed it was a ghost and left it alone."

Gray looked confused by all this. Lorelei likely didn't tell her, but she was clearly smart enough to know who they were possibly referring to.

"Wait, you don't mean Morgan as in Morgan Le Fay?"

"Yes. Morgan's conscious got pulled into me during the implantation process."

Lorelei looked a bit surprised by that bit of information.

"Her conscious? So, not her complete summoned self?"

"No, Morgan never died after Camelot fell. She went to Avalon. Regardless, she started becoming more active during the war. Trying to sway me into falling under her control. The seal the Grail made uses Arturia's high magic resistance to reduce the damage Morgan can do to it while using my mana to repair any damage done."

"I'm surprised you all managed to figure out something that complex."

"Well...we didn't exactly come up with the idea."

She looked back at Arturia before pulling out Morgan's diary. Lorelei's expression at seeing it told her she was aware of the journal.

"I take it that my mother showed you this before."

"Yeah. No one in your family has ever managed to do the lock. It's clearly a lock that detects for specific magic, but no one has managed to undo it. That and a chest your family has been keeping for years are the two things your mother nor anyone in your family managed to open."

She couldn't help but smile. Lorelei was in for a lot of surprises, but best, she started off with the journal. She moved her finger over the lock as it did the usual before it unlocked itself. Lorelei looked shocked as she put the journal on the table and moved it over to her.

"It was Morgan's diary. It has a lot of her thought and plans inside."

"Then the lock was likely meant for her. But since you have her magic circuits."

"Either having her magic circuits or having magic circuits close to hers."

"Close to hers?"

"Flip near to the end of the diary. Someone else besides myself and Morgan could open it."

Lorelei tilted her head as she did what she told her to. She already knew what was left behind in the diary, but Lorelei didn't. The moment Lorelei and Gray both got a shocked look on their faces as they turned back to her and Arturia.

"Morgan had another daughter named Alexandra Le Fay. She was the one who started the Kishinami clan after the fall of Camelot."

Lorelei looked at her and then back to Arturia because just laughing a little.

"When I came to Fuyuki to see you, never in my dreams would I have imagined you'd be in such a situation."

"Is this a bad thing?"

"Bad? Hakuno, your family has never known who their ancestor was. Not even when our families met did they know. I always guess your family had some connections to King Arthur, the attic full of medieval relics and documents proved it, but to be descendants of her sister...this changes so much."

"That's not the only thing that you'll find surprising. You mentioned a locked chest, right?"

"Yeah. The only other thing your family could never get opened."

"That was because we weren't supposed to open it."

Lorelei just looked at her, all ears to hear what she had to say. 

"Well, the lock on the chest was meant to be open by one person. That person being Arturia."

Arturia finally spoke up.

"Alexandra had left me something. Something Morgan had broken."

Both Lorelei and Gray looked confused as Arturia looked back at her as she nodded and pulled out Caliburn, which was disguised as a kendo sword as the two looked even more confused.

"Don't let it fool you, I just keep it like this to not draw any unwanted attention."

She had learned over the past week Caliburn was smart enough to sense when she wanted the sword to be disguised or not. She didn't have to say anything as the sword revealed it's true self as both Lorelei and Gray's eyes widen.

"So, it might have turned out that Caliburn wasn't lost to time but was just in the chest waiting for Arturia. Alexandra remade the sword and left it as a gift for Arturia, trying to undo what Morgan."

It was clear the two were shocked as they just stared at the sword and back at Hakuno. Neither one really knew what to say other than Lorelei finally asking.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning of the war. Maybe hearing the whole story will make more sense to us."

She couldn't blame them for being taken back by what she has said. It would take a bit, but Lorelei did come all the way here, she doubted she would mind the time. She simply put Caliburn to the side as she started recanting the events of the war.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long wait, we have returned. Enjoy.

"And since the end of the war, I've been staying at his place since."

Arturia had watched as Hakuno recanted the War to Gray and Lorelei. Lorelei had remained stoic throughout hearing it, likely focusing on listening to all of it. Gray, on the other hand, had just stared at Hakuno in disbelief. 

Not that she could blame the girl. To any mage, Hakuno must sound insane for what she did. Stepping into a fight and managing to hurt a servant with having little experience in magic, getting kidnapped multiple times, almost becoming a vessel for the Grail. Hakuno had left more 'private' details out of the retelling, but it was for the best. 

What did bother her, however, was Gray. Why did this girl have her face? She questioned if the reason for Lorelei bringing the girl with her was because of Hakuno's connection or what. Hopefully, it would become a topic of discussion.

Regardless, Hakuno had finished telling the story as the two were quiet. Hakuno took a sip of the tea she had made about halfway through the story. Gray had needed a moment to process everything, so it had given Hakuno the chance to do so.

After a few moments of silence, Lorelei finally broke the silence as she started laughing. Of course, this left herself and the other two girls confused. After a moment, Lorelei managed to compose herself to speak.

"Oh, if only your mother knew you would inherit her ability to attract trouble. You are, without question, your mother's daughter."

This statement left Hakuno confused. 

"I don't understand."

"Your mother, as intelligent and powerful as she was, had a habit of somehow getting into trouble. Granted, it was less her looking for trouble and more trouble looking for her."

She could see that. Hakuno did manage to get the attention of multiple servants during the war, and she wasn't a Master. The war had ended up less focused on the Grail itself and more on her. 

Lorelei finally calmed herself as she looked at Hakuno.

"With that said, Saber remaining here is fine but, Hakuno, do you remember about what I said the last time I saw you, if you even remember."

Hakuno just nodded. She knew where this was likely going. Regardless, she continued.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to come into the world of Mages? Your mother and I went through a great deal to make sure you didn't have to be involved. Not to mention there will be those who have an interest in your family that only died out thanks to the idea that the Kishinami family had no heir with the relics they kept being left under my family's protection."

There it was, Hakuno's choice: remain unknown to the world of Mages and live a normal life or enter and learn what there is to know. Hakuno had seen what a life of normality could lead to, thanks to EMIYA. Regardless it was her choice, but she knew what Hakuno would likely choose.

"As much as a normal life sounds safer, I've lived most of my life being blissfully ignorant of what the truth of myself and my family was. Now that I know, I'm not going to go back to being unaware of it. While I may have inherited the curse from Morgan and gotten her magic circuits against my choice, I want to make use of them. Besides, if my mother really did want me to never become a mage, she wouldn't have told you to tell me if I did learn. I have people who care about me and will do anything to keep me safe. If people interested in me try anything, they'll find I'm not merely going to make it easy for them."

She couldn't help but smile at Hakuno's declaration. Too long had she been kept in the dark of the truth of her family and herself. She couldn't blame Hakuno for not wanting to live in ignorance anymore. Clearly, her answer had left an impression on Lorelei as she smirked.

"You even have the same eyes she had when she got that determined look on her face. Guess that's just a family thing."

She couldn't help but sigh a breath of relief. She had been dreading the result of this talk, but it seems to have gone well. She was glad she didn't have to leave Hakuno. Not just out of the fact that she would be leaving Morgan to do as she pleased, but because she didn't want to abandon Hakuno. Luckily, that wouldn't be the case.

"We can work on a cover story for Arturia once you get ready to come to Clockwork next year."

"Well, if it helps, we've been going with the idea that she's my older sibling here."

"Wouldn't work. Clocktower thinks the Kishinami family died out. Don't worry about the politics, I'll figure out a story by then. Now, I imagine you both have questions concerning Gray's appearance."

She and Hakuno turned to each other and then to Gray. She couldn't say for sure about Hakuno, but, for herself, she did. What happened that would cause this girl to bear her face?

Lorelei looked at Gray.

"If you would do the honor, Gray?"

Gray, clearly getting embarrassed from all the attention, looked away. Eventually, she gave in a sigh as she looked at her and Hakuno.

"The village I was born in, for generations, had been trying to create a being capable of wielding a weapon they had been safeguarding. More specifically, the Holy Lance Rhongomyniad."

She and Hakuno both looked equally shocked. She had used her lance during the final battle against Mordred. She would have believed the lance would have been lost to the world after so long.

Hakuno looked to the girl for an explanation. Soon enough, she had brought out the weird cage that had the cube within. 

"This is Add. He functions as the seal on your lance to preserve its mystery."

She and Hakuno looked at the cube. What it did next was something neither expected.

"Can I finally talk now?"

Hakuno and herself blinked to make sure they had heard it right. Gray sighed and looked at the cube.

"I thought I told you not to speak."

"And do you know how hard that is while hearing the crazy tales the Hakuno girl was spouting. Seriously, how crazy can one be to stare down something like a Berserker servant and fight it?"

Gray then proceeded to shake the cage, flinging Add all around while she and Hakuno took it in. It shouldn't have been that surprising to hear a talking cube, but it was. Eventually, the two stop as Gray went into details.

"He's a mystic code with a personality. Whose personality we aren't sure nor who made him. Of course, the only person that should wield the lance is King Arthur, himself, so they wanted to revive her in spirit and flesh. When I was born, I resembled King Arthur but not wholly. Then, one day, I woke up, and my face had changed. When my village and mother found out, they believed me to be the second coming of King Arthur. Eventually, they decided to perform a ritual to use the gods and summon King Arthur's soul and infuse it into me, with me losing my soul in the process. Lord El-Melloi II and Lady Lorelei heard about this and had me taken and placed under El-Melloi's care."

Hakuno and herself were left silent. This girl was to be turned into her vessel? She wanted to further question how anything could have happened, but they were all taken by surprise by the sudden sound of a large slap. She turned to see Hakuno having face palmed herself. She heard Lorelei smiling, and Gray simply asked.

"What is it?"

She had a few ideas but didn't need to wait for any of them to be confirmed. After a groan, Hakuno looked at Gray with an apparent disdain on her face.

"What is with literally everyone I meet having parents issues? Seriously, how dumb is your mom and the rest of your village to think that was possibly a good idea?"


	7. Chapter 7

Hakuno could not believe it. She had thought the Harways with their claims of surpassing Arturia, or the 'Holy Grail War' had been the worst insults to Arturia's legecy. Now, she knew they were nothing compared to this. 

The fact that Gray's village had tried to turn her into a vessel for Arturia was sickening. They had Arturia's Lance, and they wanted to force Arturia's return, instead of listening to the legends and holding onto and safeguarding the weapon for her return. Not to mention they had been trying this for generations. She could only imagine how many people have been affected by this act of stupidity.

She put her hands in her lap as she stared at Gray.

"So, let me be sure I have this right. For generations, your village have been trying to bring Arturia back, which resulted in you, who they believed was the one that would result in Arturia's return."

Gray looked between a mix of confusion and nervousness.

"Yes?"

"Alright, let's go over why this was a stupid idea. First off, Arturia was stated to return when the world needed her the most. The implication being that she isn't a person meant to be brought back. Now I understand this seems out of place consider..."

She motioned to Arturia before continue.

"But for the sake of argument, let's ignore the fact that she is here, especially considering this has been going on long before she was even summoned."

Gray simply nodded, and, by this point, Lorelei was sitting back watching. She wasn't sure if she knew she would end up going on this rant or not, but that question could wait. 

"Second, even had they managed to summon Arturia into your body, they would be confining her to a lesser being. Don't get me wrong, you have the look down, but I doubt they could manage to recreate Arturia's body outside of appearance. Combine that with the previous mention bit about her returning when the world needed her, and you have ended up possibly weakening her."

She hoped she wasn't offending Gray by saying all of this. If the people responsible were here, she'd be lecturing them about how idiotic this entire thing had been. Gray didn't say anything, so she continued. 

"Let's assume they did manage to do this. That your village managed to bind Arturia's soul into your body. What then? What's the end game other than having someone who can use Rhongomyniad?"

She looked at Gray, expecting at least some reasoning behind doing all of it. She had a possible idea, but the thought alone was an insult to her and everything her family had done. Sadly, it became very likely, thanks to Gray's next words.

"I...I don't know. My village have been trying to revive King Arthur for so long that whatever the original reason has been lost."

"Well, I have a possible answer. One I find very insulting."

"What is it?"

"Basically, your village wanted to destroy you as a person and revive Arturia just so they can give her the Rhongomyniad and abandon all responsibilities they have to protecting it. If they were trying to revive Arturia in trying to basically cause the second coming of Camelot, then they missed the chance by a couple hundred years. Seriously, what did they expect? Give Arturia Rhongomyniad, have her walk up to some government, proclaim she was King Arthur, and they would let her take over and rule once more? Regardless, it's either laziness, incompetency, or both. Pick your poison."

She finally finished as she looked at Gray, Add, and Lorelei. None of them spoke for a bit. She wasn't sure if she had offended them or not, but she didn't regret what she said. The fact that all of this had happened, for years and no one had noticed until Gray was a surprise. Finally, Lorelei managed to break the silence.

"Like I said; like mother like daughter. With that out of the way, I want to talk to Saber in private about a few things. How about you two stay here and talk?"

"That's fine."

Arturia did look a bit worried, but she could tell Lorelei didn't mean any harm. Plus, maybe Gray would be more willing to talk if it was just the two of them. Regardless, Lorelei got up and lead Arturia to her parent's old room, leaving her and Gray.

"Look, sorry if I said anything that upset or offended you. I just hate how your village, mother included, tried to turn you into someone else without any regard for what you wanted."

She wasn't sure if apologies would do anything. She had been a bit harsh with how she reacted to hearing what Gray had been through. Gray looked away, but, instead of looking like she was going to cry, she looked embarrassed.

"N-no, it's okay. I just didn't expect so much empathy from you, considering we just met."

"Why wouldn't I empathize with you? I imagine any person would be upset after hearing what happened to you."

Gray simply kept avoiding eye contact. There was another thing that had been on her mind.

El-Melloi II had been a survivor of the last Grail War, according to Lorelei, and had a clear history with Arturia if he wanted Gray to keep her hood up. Still, it didn't answer the question of why. Why would he have bad memories of Arturia? 

She quickly ran through what she knew about the Masters of the last war. Illya's parents had been involved, one of them being Shirou's adopted father, Kirei and Gilgamesh had been around during the previous war. Lorelei had mention her mom had did something for him after the last war, and he looked familiar. 

Then, she found herself once more, having one of her memories play out in front of her. She found herself back in the living room as it was ten years ago. The last time this had happened had been right before the war kicked off. Of course, rather than it being only her mother in the room, there was someone on the couch with a cup in their hands.

The young man couldn't be any more than a year or two older than Shirou and Rin. She questions what was going on until her mother asked.

"And that's all you know about what happened?"

"Yes, Mrs.Kishnami. After Rider was defeated by Archer, he left me on that bridge, and it wasn't too long after that when...all that happened."

"Makes sense. You probably did yourself a favor by not trying to follow Archer. Still, what a mess. You know about the whereabouts of any of the other Masters?"

"I only know that Caster's master was killed. I'm not sure about the others."

Hanae just nodded. It was clear what was going on. This person was likely Lord El-Melloi II during the last war. Sadly before she could watch or hear anymore, she opened her eyes and found herself back in reality with Gray looking worried as she shook her.

"Hakuno? Are you alright? You went quiet and weren't responding."

"Ahh, sorry. I have moments where I end up seeing things. It's nothing to worry about."

She got up quickly. She needed to change topics before she worried Gray anymore. Luckily, she had just the thing.

"While your face isn't something I can change, how your hair is done is a step in the right direction."

"Huh?"

Gray simply looked confused as she walked over behind Gray. Her hair was styled exactly as Arturia had her hairstyled. She wasn't sure if this was pure coincidence or not, but it was something she was determined to change. If Lord El-Melloi II's issue was the similarity in looks, then maybe a change in hairstyle would separate the two.

Of course, Gray was nervous as she started undoing her hair braids as she tried to look back at her.

"W-what are you doing exactly?"

"Fixing an issue. You have Arturia's face, and your hairstyle doesn't help separate the two of you. This is step one of making you your own person. Now, Add, I am going to need your help to determine which style fits Gray best."

Add simply bounced up and down the cage.

"I like this girl, Gray. Finally, a girl who has a level head and some sensibility."

"W-weren't you the one who said she was crazy a few minutes ago?"

"That was before she basically called your village out on their stupidity."

Hakuno wasn't entirely paying attention to the two talking, but she did hear Gray begin shaking the cage once more. Add must have said something she did like. She was to focus on Operation: Give Gray Individuality. Still, she wondered what Lorelei and Arturia could be talking about at the moment.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, another chapter. It took a while to figure things out, especially about how I would fit Avalon into all this but I have it situated. More details on that whole thing in the future.
> 
> For now, enjoy the chapter.

Arturia followed Lorelei up to the attic. She supposed if there was any place to talk, it was up there. Hakuno and Gray would likely stay busy with whatever Hakuno was planning.

When they got up there, Lorelei turned to the chest that had contained Caliburn. Perhaps she had wanted to see if the chest had indeed been open. Not that they had any reason to lie about it.

Regardless, there it stood open—the imprint where Caliburn had been for so long still there. Lorelei stared at the chest before sighing.

"I still can't believe it. Hanae and I would always speculate what was in there as kids, but I don't think we ever got close to it being your old sword."

She couldn't help but smile at the image of a little girl that looked like Hakuno and Lorelei as a kid playing a guessing game. 

"You two sounded close."

"We were. Our families have always been close since they first met, but she was the greatest friend anyone could ask for. It...it took all my will to not simply throw away all the preparations we made for Hakuno after she passed away and just bring Hakuno back with me to London when the last time I met her in front of Hanae's grave."

Lorelei leaned against the wall.

"I wonder if I should have stopped her back then. If I should have prevented her from shortening both her and Hakuno's father's life force to implant Morgan's magic circuits into Hakuno."

She could see where this was going.

"You want to know my thoughts on if you did the right thing by letting it happen or not."

Lorelei nodded. She was of two minds about it. On one side, Hakuno's parents left her a life of mostly solitude, giving way for Morgan to try and affect Hakuno. On the other, Alexandra's note and the message she left in Caliburn made it clear that she had planned for all of this and, seemingly, had good reasons for doing so. 

Ultimately, she decided on how to approach this.

"Did you trust Hanae?"

"Of course."

"Then that alone should be enough to know you did the right thing. Even if Hakuno had to go through some trying times, she never hated her mother, even after discovering what happened to her and her father. Besides, if you had prevented it, I would have never gotten to learn about everything Alexandra did and never met Hakuno. It was only by Morgan's circuits reacting to my summoning that lead her to us that night."

"That was actually the thing I wanted to talk about. Guess I got a bit carried away. What I wanted to ask is how you got summoned twice?"

She took a moment to think about it. It was very rare for a servant to be summoned much less get summoned twice. Of course, she had her deal with the Counter Force, but being summoned by both Kiritsugu and Shirou, his adopted son, was very unbelievable unless there was something more she did not know.

Lorelei elaborated on her question. 

"See, it usually is impossible for the same servant to get summoned twice unless you have a very specific relic for the summoning. Back when the Barthomeloi's brought the Kishinami clan in as an official family, two relics were given to the Mage Association as proof of the Kishinami Lineage. One was a fragment of the round table. The other...was your scabbard. The scabbard for Excalibur, Avalon."

She stared at Lorelei in shock. Avalon? Her scabbard had been found? She remembers how it was stolen right before her battle with Mordred at Camlann. If Alexandra had recovered it, then it clear Morgan had behind the theft. 

If that was the case, why didn't Alexandra tell her about it? She had only mention fixing Caliburn in her note. Was it the Kishinami's before they joined the Mage Association that had found it?

Still, she was speechless.

"I...I had no idea."

"I figured as much, especially since it was likely used twice to summon you for the past 2 wars."

"What do you mean?"

"When the 4th Grail rolled around, both relics were given to summon a servant for the war. The Matou family got the fragment of the round table and the Einzberns-"

"Got Avalon. That was what they used to summon me."

"You're catching on. Now, Hanae wasn't exactly excited to hear this but agreed to it, so long as both were returned. Neither one was returned, at least, weren't return unharmed. While we did get the fragment of the round table back, it was broken in pieces by the Berserker servant after the summoning. Then the chaos during the aftermath of the war happened, and we never recovered Avalon. Hanae and I believed the Einzberns were holding onto it to use again for the 5th war, but Hanae died before we could ever see if that was true. Of course, when they summoned Berserker, I knew that couldn't be the case. So imagine my surprise then when you are summoned under Shirou Emiya."

She went to go to defend her former master, but Lorelei raised her had to stop whatever she was going to say.

"Calm down, I'm not accusing Shirou of hiding it. From the way Hakuno talked about him, he's too honest to do such a thing. I'm sure Kiritsugu likely hid it well enough to ensure nobody found it but close enough to where it reacted and summoned you. Now, if he does end up breaking Hakuno's heart..." 

Lorelei just smirked before the both of them found themselves laughing. If nothing else, this was the one thing they could agree on. Though she did make one thing clear.

"If Shirou or Rin do break Hakuno's heart, I got first dibs."

"Can't argue with that. I'm not going to fight King Arthur on who gets first dibs."

Things got quiet after that. It gave her enough time to think about Alexandra and everything she had done, given this new info. Yet, she was still left with that one question: What does she mean by Hakuno is the key to Camelot's future?

"Alexandra also mention something between the note and the message she had left for me in Caliburn. Apparently, Hakuno is the key to Camelot's future."

"Camelot's future?"

"I do not know anything more than that I need to keep Hakuno safe. I do not know what my niece has planned, but she knew long beforehand I would be summoned thanks to her clairvoyance."

She gave Lorelei a moment to think about all of it. She couldn't figure out what she intended to do. So far, everything has been to undo the damage done by Morgan, but how does one bring back an entire kingdom lost a thousand years ago.

"I honestly couldn't tell you, Saber. The reasoning for all this is clear, but that bit about Camelot's future and Hakuno's role in it, I couldn't begin to figure out. At least it's clear her intent is not malicious, given everything she has done until now."

It was worth a shot. All she could do is wait till she met Alexandra in a few years and ask her then. For now, she just had to focus on keeping Hakuno safe. 

And speaking of Hakuno.

"We should probably go back downstairs and grab Hakuno and Gray before heading back to Shirou's place. Hakuno had plans to take Shirou, Rin, Sakura, and myself to her parent's grave. I'm sure you would likely want to visit it as well."

"I had planned on visiting it before I left, so this works out. I'm sure El-Melloi II is almost done hearing the war from Shirou and Rin's perspective, so we'll likely have time."

Lorelei began to head downstairs as she stayed where she was for a few moments. It was good to know that she was dedicated to keeping Hakuno safe. Hakuno will still have someone if something...

She shook her head at the thought. She wouldn't let anything happen to her and make Hakuno have to go through losing a parent figure again. She has suffered enough as it was. From now on, she will do everything she could to keep Hakuno safe. She had to, less she never finds out what Alexandra is planning.


	9. Chapter 9

"A-are you sure this looks good?"

Hakuno looked at Gray as she finally got her hair styled. While Arturia was talking to Lorelei upstairs in the attic, she had taken the time to figure out what style would be best for Gray. After a few suggestions by Add, she finally managed to do one she considered the best for Gray.

She had seen Saber with her hair down. It wasn't often, only when they went to bed, but she had seen it down and how pretty it made Arturia look. So, she figured that would be the best way to go. 

Of course, she wanted Gray to look different, so she decided to change it to where it was unique. She had braided a bit of Gray's hair together to where it was similar to how Arturia had her hair braided up except, in Gray's case, the rest of her hair was down. Maybe Rin or Sakura could have done something better but, she was still proud, all things considered.

"I think it suits you. What do you think, Add?"

"I like it. It's better than you wearing that hood all the time."

Gray looked at Add.

"You know why I wear it."

"Well, maybe now he'll complain less about the new style."

Hakuno just tilted her head.

"Who are you talking about? Who's 'he'?"

Gray looked at Hakuno with a bit of a blush.

"Lord El-Melloi II. He's the man who went off to talk to the people you were staying with. He's the one who came to my village and saved me when he and Lady Lorelei found out what was going on with me. He and Lady Lorelei were the first people to acknowledge me as an individual, whereas my village saw me as nothing more than a vessel for King Arthur."

Add bounced up and down in his cage.

"At least now you have someone your age that will treat you normally."

Gray looked at Add with a bit of annoyance, but he wasn't wrong. She decided maybe she should step in and defuse the situation. 

"He's not wrong, Gray. I see you as you, and I'm sure Shirou, Rin, and Sakura will be the same. They're good people, though Rin can be a bit...mean by accident sometimes."

"What do you mean by that?"

"She has a habit of saying things a certain way or saying things she shouldn't. She doesn't mean to do it just happens by accident. So, here's a bit of advice: if she does this, just stare at her for a moment, and she'll rethink what she said and correct herself."

"Really? You sound like you've known Rin for months."

"Well, I did know them before the war from going to school with them, but I mostly kept my distance. It was only once the war began when the four of us started to get close."

It's funny how a fight to the death between mages and the spirits of the dead made manifest can bring people together. She, Shirou, Rin, and Sakura was just good friends up until the war. Now she was dating both Shirou and Rin, and Sakura was like a big sister to her. Taiga was basically that crazy in-law but fun to be around with.

...Then there was Illya...

She still couldn't help but think about what happened. Had things gone differently, Illya may still be alive. Maybe she would have found out the truth about what happened. Regardless, all those possibilities are just that: possibilities. Illya was dead, never being able to learn the truth about what happened. As much as the war had been good for her, it had also taken its toll. 

"Hakuno?"

She looked at Gray, who was staring at her.

"Sorry, got lost in thought."

Gray looked like she wanted to say something, but the two were interrupted as they heard Arturia and Lorelei coming down the stairs. Arturia looked at the two.

"Hey, we're going to head back to Shirou's place to check on them. We'll finish packing later."

Yeah, their plan of sorting through the things upstairs has fallen through at this point. She had wanted to try and sort through stuff till around the evening before going to take Shirou, Rin, Sakura, and Arturia to her parent's graves. With Lorelei here, that could wait. They had plenty of time to get the attic cleared out. 

The moment Gray got up, she immediately tried to pull her hood over her face. 

"Oh no, you don't."

She grabbed Gray's hand to stop her from pulling her hood up. This took Gray by surprise.

"H-huh? What's wrong?"

"You're trying to hide your face."

"W-well..."

She got close to Gray. She understood why Gray was so hesitant about her face, but running away and hiding it wouldn't fix it. She needed to convince Gray to confront the issue.

"I understand you have issues having someone else's face, but hiding it under a hood won't fix it. You have to make people see the face as yours, even if it isn't. People aren't going to get to know you completely if you keep hiding it, and to anyone who sees you for only your face, they aren't worth any of your time. You are you, Gray. Having someone else's face won't change that."

The room went silent. Maybe it was too soon for her to be giving Gray this kind of speech but, from what she could tell, Gray has spent all her time hiding and running away from something she couldn't control. If the issue is just she had someone else's face, then all she would have to do is just make it her own. The silence was broke as Add simply whistled.

"Forgot El-Melloi, this girl should be the one you should be chasing."

Gray just held Add's cage up before shaking it. Though, she was confused by what he said.

"Why would Gray be chasing El-Melloi? He didn't seem like he was in a hurry to get away from her earlier."

Gray stopped shaking Add's cage as they both looked at her.

"You're joking, right?"

"Like Add said, that is supposed to be a joke, right?"

This only confused her more as she tilted her head at the two. Why would she be joking? It didn't help that Lorelei started chuckling but managed to compose herself.

"Alright, we'll have plenty of time to talk later. Come on, you three."

She simply put whatever Add and Gray were talking about in the back of her mind for now as she followed Lorelei out of the house. Gray and Add followed behind her as they started walking towards Shirou's place. She did know, however, that Rin was probably going to freak when she sees Lorelei with her.

Arturia simply looked at Lorelei as they walked ahead of Hakuno and Gray.

"Hanae was as oblivious to romance as Hakuno is, I take it?"

Lorelei looked at her and smiled.

"Oh, Saber. The stories I have to tell."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me start by saying I am so sorry for making everyone wait almost half a year for a new chapter. For whatever reason, this chapter was the hardest one to write. I would get stuck and not know how to write what I had in mind next and eventually write for another story. I basically had to restart from the beginning and hope that the flow would help me get through this.
> 
> Again, I apologize for the long wait. Hopefully, the rest of the story doesn't have as big of an issue when it comes to writing. 
> 
> With that said, enjoy the chapter.

It didn't take them long to get back to Shirou's place. Hakuno was honestly a bit excited to introduce Gray to Shirou, Rin, and Sakura. Aside from their initial confusion, they would understand Gray's situation, and, hopefully, having people treating her as her instead of who she looked like would help her self-confidence. 

Rin might end up having a panic attack upon meeting Lorelei, given her previous reaction upon hearing she and her family were close. Still, Lorelei seemed to be not against her being with Shirou and Rin. She may end up taking them aside and privately to talk to them about it, but, as far as she was aware, there were no issues there. 

Then there was the man from earlier that had arrived along with them that was supposed to be getting Rin, Sakura, and Shirou's side of the story. She wonders how that was going. They had their own perspective, but they shouldn't be too drastically different once they ended up together after Medusa was defeated. If they were still going, maybe they could stop for lunch and pick up afterward.

Regardless, she put her thoughts aside as they got to Shirou's place, soon to be her home as well. She went up to the front and knocked a few times. Soon enough, she heard Rin's voice coming from the other side.

"Hold on, I'm coming."

It only took a few moments for Rin to open the door for her to notice she was not expecting her back so soon. She looked like she was about to say something but then saw that she and Arturia were not alone. She would have probably asked who they were, but her eyes turned towards Gray as she looked back at Arturia and then to Gray a few times.

"Ummm, Hakuno? Why are there two Arturias?"

"It's a long story. Her name is Gray. As for the looks, we may have found out a group of people who might be worst than the Harways when it comes to respecting Arturia's legacy."

"Right. Guess that's going to be something to talk about. Who's the other woman, though."

"Oh her? That's Lorelei. You know, the woman my mom was close with. The woman from the family my family was close with. The one I told you about earlier."

Rin just blinked for a few moments. She didn't say anything or react; she just stared at her. 

"Rin? Are you alright?"

She still didn't say anything. She would have shaken her until she smells food cooking and quickly realized Shirou must start cooking lunch. 

"Arturia, why don't you bring Rin, Lorelei, and Gray in. I'm going to go help Shirou cook lunch, given that he probably doesn't know I was bringing company."

Arturia just nodded as she walked past Rin. Hopefully, whatever is going on with her subsides. It was probably shock and or panic, but you'd think that, after everything she had mentioned about knowing in regards to Lorelei, Rin wouldn't have as big of a freakout. Was it even really a freakout? She just stopped saying anything.

In any case, she quickly went into the kitchen to find Shirou and Sakura starting to cook lunch.

"Hey Shirou, hey Sakura."

The two turned to look at her with a similar reaction to Rin seeing her.

"Oh, hey, Hakuno. I thought you and Arturia were going to be busy packing the things in your attic up. Sakura and I planned to bring you guys lunch."

"Oh, we were, but...you remember how I mentioned that dream I had about Lorelei and how she was supposed to come to tell me the truth about my family and everything?"

The two raised their eyebrows but nodded. 

"Yeah, well, imagine my surprise when she knocks on my door while Arturia and I were going through the attic."

Shirou looked a bit surprised.

"Wait, seriously? So, that El-Melloi guy wasn't lying when he said she was talking to you at your place."

"He brought her up?"

Sakura nodded.

"We were kind of worried about you when he first arrived, wanting to hear about what happened in the Grail War from our perspective. It didn't take long since all of us allied early on in the war, and we asked what was going to happen to you, only for him to tell us nothing and that Lorelei would take care of it."

"Yeah, apparently, after the last war, my mom helped him out. Not sure what exactly that entails, but he's someone we can trust if Lorelei is anything to go by. She wouldn't bring someone that would cause me harm."

"You trust her?"

She nodded.

"We can go over stuff later. Lorelei and another girl are joining us for lunch, though, be aware she does look like Arturia. It's a long story, but she has self-confidence issues because of it. Her name is Gray, so try and treat her like she is her own person."

Shirou looked confused.

"Wait, she looks like Arturia? What is she another of her descendants?"

"No, at least, I don't believe so. The reason Gray looks like Arturia is a lot more...frustrating, to say the least. Like I said, long story that we can talk about later."

Sakura and Shirou nodded, but as she was coming over to help Sakura, Sakura realized something.

"Wait, who let you in?"

"Oh, Rin did."

"Rin? You mean the one who was shocked to find out your family had ties to her family?"

"Yeah? I mean, Rin did kind of just shut down when I told her Lorelei was with me."

Sakura sighed as she started heading out of the kitchen.

"I should go make sure she doesn't let herself look like a fool in front of her. You and Shirou can handle the cooking."

They both nodded as Sakura left the kitchen, leaving her and Shirou as they mostly stayed silent as they prepared lunch for everyone. Though, Shirou did bring up something that she hadn't realized till now.

"I really do hope Gray doesn't have the same eating habits as Arturia does."

That was probably something she should have asked earlier.


End file.
